When I first came across Mel Henke in 2012, he didn’t have a Wikipedia page. As of this writing, I think it’s “cooler” not to have a Wikipedia page than to have one.

That being said, I’d like to review this particular album, not give the man’s biography. You should read it for context anyway. Luckily, allmusic took care of that for us here. For the unmotivated here’s the summary: Dude came from the advertising industry, liked horn sections, sultry women’s voices, and had a sense of humor.

So it makes sense that the entire album has the feel of a lounge fueled big band combined with a with an early Bugs Bunny cartoon combined with a 50’s television commercial sensationalizing TV Brand Frozen Dinners.

Plainly put, this is the most fun I’ve had with music in a long time. It happens to be that I love big bands and lounge vibes, but that doesn’t matter. The shear amount of whimsy in tracks like “All that Meat” is worth my time, no matter the style. *Note: The image below has nothing to do with the original recording. Someone thought they were clever.*

In terms of flow, the album flows very well from front all the way to the back. Save two tracks in the middle involve one name being spoken over and over again which are funny at first and infuriating a moment later. Honestly though, with the exception of those two songs, there’s a gem in every other track.